In 1930, architect Alfred Clauss left Meis Van Der Rohe’s office after completing his work on the Barcelona Pavilion. Shortly after, he accepted a position with TVA in East Tennessee. In 1934 Alfred married Jane West who had just finished her time with Le Corbusier’s office after completing her work on the design of the Swiss Dormitory. They both settled in East Tennessee and, in 1939, embarked on designing and developing a series of remarkable structures on a site in South Knoxville with majestic views of the Smoky Mountains. What unfolded there, on Little Switzerland Road, was radical: the creation of the first deed-restricted subdivision for modern design in the United States, and a formative exploration of regional modernism that would position them as pioneers of the movement. It started with a group of congenial families who wished to build cooperatively and persuaded the designers to join them in the original venture. This architect, contractor and developer collaborative established a portion of the ridge as a separate unit, introducing a “contemporary design” restriction. In all, this restriction included ten lots; to date, five houses have been built of the ten designed – all by Alfred and Jane West Clauss.
Despite early recognition, the Clausses’ contributions faded from architectural discourse. Their homes, too, slipped from view, buried beneath layers of ill-fitting additions, time-worn renovations, and years of neglect. Only in the last decade have these structures begun to be carefully uncovered, their original forms emerging once again from beneath the sediment of time and oversight.
In 2013, John Sanders, principal of Sanders Pace Architects became fascinated with the history of Little Switzerland and purchased the Seymour Tanner house; the Redwood House (Clauss Haus II) in 2016; the Clauss Haus I in 2019 and the Clauss Cabin house in 2023.
In 2014, he completed the historic restoration of the Seymour Tanner House and in 2021 completed the historic restoration of the Claus House II. He is currently restoring Clauss Haus I and just beginning the restoration of the Clauss Cabin. The work completed exemplifies the delicate nature of restoring homes stemming from historic and significant origins while following the “modern” deeded requirements with any new adjustments following the strict unornamented intent.